TEDxSharjahLibraries

Speakers

Speakers may not be confirmed. Check the event website for the latest lineup.

• Ali Al Saloom

  Ali Al Saloom is an Emirati cultural adviser and public speaker, best known for his platform "Ask Ali." He is the founder of AskAli.com, the first online cultural information portal on the UAE, and authored the first mini-guides to Abu Dhabi and Dubai written by an Emirati. His journey began while working in the hospitality industry, where he encountered widespread misconceptions about the region's culture, religion, and identity, prompting him to become a bridge-builder between the Gulf and the wider world — a role in which he has since fielded more than 7,000 questions from curious expatriates. Over a career spanning more than twenty years in UAE culture and tourism, he has traveled to over 190 destinations, spoken at thousands of events, and authored "The Answers by Ask Ali" — with over 1.6 million copies distributed globally — as well as creating the award-winning travel cultural show "Duroob". His media presence has included hosting and producing Etihad Airways' in-flight program "Welcome to Abu Dhabi with Ask Ali" and weekly columns and cultural guidebooks reaching international audiences; he has also served as Environmental Ambassador of the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi and received the Khalifa Fund Business Award in 2010 for his entrepreneurship. He remains a familiar face at the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, where he regularly speaks on cross-cultural understanding.